Achieving our low-carbon pathway to 2030

Transcription

1 Achieving our low-carbon pathway to 2030 Consultation Summary This summary provides an overview of our consultation Achieving our low-carbon pathway to The full consultation document can be found at

2 The challenge and the opportunity Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. Lots of things we do from driving cars to heating our homes, from making products to producing food create carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. There is now clear scientific evidence that these gases are having an effect on our climate and that this is making our weather more extreme and unpredictable. Things like heatwaves, storms and flooding affect our health, our homes and our economy. So we need to reduce the amount of these gases we create. And we are not alone: countries around the world recognise that cutting greenhouse gases not only reduces the impact of future extreme weather events but also brings benefits in the shape of new jobs, global market advantages, cleaner air and water, and better health. These countries are changing and investing in cleaner ways of producing energy, transport systems and more efficient ways to live and work. We can all help to reduce greenhouse gases and avoid the worst impacts for us and our children because we all make choices every day about how we travel, what we eat and whether we recycle our waste. Less often we make choices about which energy company we ll use at home and where we ll go on holiday. What are we aiming for? 80% Experts say we need to cut greenhouse gases by at least 80% in 2050 to avoid the worst impacts for us, our children and beyond. We have decided to set a number of targets to get us there, including a 2030 target to reduce our greenhouse gases by 45%. We ll ask the National Assembly to confirm these targets later this year. We have been trying to reduce these gases for a while already and have managed to cut them by about 15%. Now we need to think about how to reduce these gases by another 30% over the next ten years or so. Targets 2020 reduction of 27% 2030 reduction of 45% 2040 reduction of 67% 2050 Carbon Budget % emission reduction

3 Our ideas for reaching the 2030 target Some things will need to be done by others, such as the UK government s idea to phase out cars that burn fossil fuels, but there are lots of things the Welsh government can do too. We ve listed our ideas below and would like to hear what you think. Power Nearly 35% of our greenhouse gases come from burning fossil fuels to produce energy. There s a big coal power station in Aberthaw and a big gas power station in Pembroke. One of our ideas is about controlling when we take fossil fuels from the ground in the first place. We also want much more energy to come from renewable sources, like solar panels and wind turbines, and for local people to have more ownership of these things. This will reduce greenhouse gases and bring local communities together. Have more control over when fossil fuels are taken from the ground and burned Generate much more energy from renewable sources, like solar panels and wind turbines Ensure local people own more renewable energy sources Transport Greenhouse gases are also produced when we burn fossil fuels to move people and goods around about 15% of the total. Our vehicles are getting more efficient but we re using them more so overall we haven t really reduced greenhouse gases from transport. One of our ideas is to develop a charging network for electric vehicles and to think about how else we can encourage people to swap their petrol or diesel vehicle for an electric one. We also want to make buses and taxis zero-carbon, and for people to walk and cycle a lot more than they do today. These ideas will reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality and our health. Develop a charging network for electric vehicles Think about how else we can encourage people to swap their petrol or diesel vehicle for an electric one Make buses and taxis zero-carbon Help people walk and cycle a lot more than they do today Understand how the speed we drive at affects the greenhouse gases our vehicles produce

4 Buildings About 10% of our greenhouse gases come from heating and lighting our homes. We re thinking about setting higher energy efficiency standards for new buildings and renovation projects. Lots of our houses are pretty old and can be difficult to keep warm. So one of our ideas is to help people change their homes to make them warmer, more comfortable and cheaper to run. This could be things like insulating the walls and draught-proofing the windows. This will reduce greenhouse gases and energy bills. We also want to make our buildings more sustainable in the first place by thinking about where we can use Welsh timber when we build them. Higher energy efficiency standards for new buildings and renovation projects Help people change their homes to make them cheaper to run this could be things like insulating the walls and draught-proofing the windows Make our buildings more sustainable in the first place by thinking about the materials we use to build them Agriculture, land and waste The way we produce food creates about 10% of our greenhouse gases, and meat like beef and lamb creates more than fruit and vegetables. Because we re leaving the European Union now is a good time to think about the support we provide to farmers. Our land whether it s grassland, crops or forest absorbs greenhouse gases from the air so we want to plant lots more trees and manage our peatland better. A small amount of greenhouse gases comes from landfill around 2%. One of our ideas is to help our economy by using more of the stuff we throw away to make new products. This will reduce greenhouse gases and create new jobs. Encourage farmers to cut greenhouse gases by redesigning our system of financial support Plant lots more trees Manage our peatland better Help our economy make new products by using more of the stuff we throw away Public sector Running our public buildings, like schools, universities, hospitals and council offices, only creates about 1% of all our greenhouse gases. There are also some greenhouse gases produced from using cars, vans and bin lorries. The main thing we can do in the public sector is show leadership for the rest of the country that s why we ve announced our ambition for the public sector to be carbon neutral by Support the public sector to establish a baseline and monitor progress towards becoming zero-carbon Use only renewable electricity by 2020 and, where we can, use only low-carbon heat by 2030 Buy only ultra low emission cars and light goods vehicles by 2025 and, where we can, buy only ultra low emission heavy goods vehicles by 2030

5 Technology We want to use new, exciting ideas and technology to help us reduce greenhouse gases. One of our ideas is to look more closely at how we might use technology to capture greenhouse gases when they are produced at power stations and big industrial plants and store it underground. Experts say we will need to do this if we want to reach the 80% target by Business and skills Putting these ideas into practice will mean big changes for our economy. We want to work with businesses to reduce their greenhouse gases and help them take advantage of the opportunities to come. We also want to help people get the new skills they ll need when jobs change. Our other ideas you might be interested in Support regional and local energy planning Support innovation in new energy products, processes and services Look at how innovation could help us reduce greenhouse gases Involve people and organisations in achieving our targets for greenhouse gases Understand the energy use of commercial buildings and what greenhouse gases are produced Explore the opportunities and challenges associated with reducing greenhouse gases in our heating system Consider how we can support the industries that create most greenhouse gases beyond 2020 Consider how we could use waste heat created by industrial processes Establish a group to look at reducing greenhouse gases in industry. What do you think of our ideas? Fill in our short survey at Crown copyright 2018 WG35488